JKU Computer Science Professor Gabriele Anderst-Kotsis and filmmaker Carola Mair were featured guests and spoke about their professional experiences, careers, and provided personal encouragement to other women. The ACADEMIA SUPERIOR symposium aims to strengthen civic courage and resolve in society by introducing strong, determined, and professional women.

Gabriele Anderst-Kotsis is a renowned computer scientist in Austria and head of the Institute of Computer Sciences at the JKU. She was the first female president of the Austrian Computer Society and served as JKU Vice-Rector for Research to the end of 2015. Prof. Anderst-Kotsis actively supports women in the workplace and 50% of her staff at the institute are women. Prof. Anderst-Kotsis remarked: "You can find women in science and engineering; you just have to put in a little effort sometimes. The excuse that there aren’t any is just that: an excuse."